FR2746493A1 - MANIFOLD FOR A HEAT EXCHANGER, ESPECIALLY A MOTOR VEHICLE - Google Patents

Abstract

A collector plate (2) comprises in a central part (3) at least one row of holes (7) suitable for receiving tube ends. Each hole (7) is made in a stamped (6-i) comprising at least two aligned indentations (8a-8c), of respective dimensions chosen, and capable of being punched individually or in combination, by punches of different characteristic dimensions in at least the direction of alignment (xx), to allow the passage of tubes of different dimensions in at least this direction of alignment.

Description

Collector for heat exchanger, in particular for a motor vehicle

  The invention relates to collector plates, or collectors

  tores, for heat exchanger, in particular for a motor vehicle, and more particularly those which include in a central part at least one row of holes

  parallels suitable for receiving tube ends.

  The parallel holes, the shape of which is adapted to that of the tube which must pass through them, are generally made in

stamped, by punching.

  To manufacture such a collector, it is first necessary to start with a blank called a "medallion" which, in a first step, is stamped using a first tool, in order to

  to form a plurality of parallel stamps.

  In a second punching step, holes are made, one by stamping, and the shapes and dimensions of which are

  adapted to the cross section of tubes to be introduced.

  The stamping carried out in the first stage can only correspond to a single type of tube whose dimensions

are chosen.

  Consequently, if one wishes to make a heat exchanger

  heat provided with tubes of appreciably different dimensions

  tes, it is necessary to take a new blank blank for stamping, then to stamp it using a new stamping tool and finally to punch it

with a new punch.

  There is therefore no collector of a standard type capable of being adapted to the dimensions of the

different sections.

  Consequently, one of the objects of the invention is to provide a collector which does not have the disadvantage of

  prior art collectors.

  To this end, the invention provides a manifold for a heat exchanger of the type described in the introduction, in which each hole is made in a deep-drawn comprising at least

  two aligned indentations, of respective dimensions

  sies, and capable of being individually stamped or

  in combination, with punches of characteristic dimensions

  different in at least the alignment direction of the cavities, to allow the passage of tubes of dimensions

  different according to at least this alignment direction.

  According to another characteristic of the invention, each imprint is capable of being punched, by punches of different characteristic dimensions, in a direction perpendicular to the direction of alignment of the imprints of a stamped, to allow the passage of tubes d '' at least two different dimensions according to this

  direction perpendicular to the alignment.

  In this way, a single stamping tool allows

  make stampings with aligned footprints allowing

  feels the realization of holes of different sections. A single footprint will suffice to make a small hole, while two aligned and consecutive footprints will allow for example the production of a larger hole, or two holes

smaller dimensions.

  Preferably, at least one of the imprints of a

  stamped has a dimension according to the direction of alignment-

  which is different from the dimension (s) of

  the other (or the others) imprint (s).

  In a preferred embodiment of the invention, each stamp includes three aligned indentations capable of being punched individually or in combination to

  allow the passage of tubes of three different dimensions

  tes in the direction of alignment, and of five different dimensions in a direction perpendicular to this

alignment direction.

  Thus, starting from a standard blank, which is stamped using a single stamping tool capable of producing in a single operation a plurality of parallel stamps each comprising three aligned impressions, it is possible to produce, with the help of punches of different shapes, at least fifteen collectors whose holes have

different dimensions.

  The invention also provides a manufacturing process

  a header plate for a heat exchanger, in particular

  motor vehicle, including the following steps:

  tes: - provide a blank with a flat central part; stamping said central part of the blank so that it comprises a plurality of stampings parallel to each other and each comprising at least two aligned imprints of respective dimensions chosen; and punching at least one of the imprints of each stamp of said plurality of stamps, individually or in

  combination, so that holes of dimension are made

  sions adapted to allow the passage of tube ends of different dimensions along at least the alignment direction.

  In the following description, given by way of example, we

  refers to the accompanying drawings, in which: - Figure 1 illustrates a perspective view of a part

  of a collector according to the invention in one embodiment

preferred tion;

  - Figure 2 is a cross section along line II-

  II of the collector of FIG. 1; - Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view along line III-III of the collector of Figure 1; - Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view along line IV-IV of the collector of Figure 1; and - Figure 5 is a longitudinal sectional view along the axis

V-V of the collector of figure 1.

  A heat exchanger usually includes one or two

  fluid boxes (not shown) into which

  chent ends of metal tubes 1 (see Figure 5),

  and forming a bundle of tubes spaced by fins.

  These tubes are generally held parallel to each other by a collector plate 2 (or collector) which

  also forms the cover of the fluid box.

  The collector plate 2 comprises, on the one hand, a central part called "bottom", and on the other hand, over the entire periphery of its central part, a shaped peripheral edge 4, for example by folding, which delimits a groove in U designed to accommodate a peripheral heel made on

  the periphery of the wall forming the fluid box.

  The collector plate 2 comprises, in its central part, a multiplicity of stampings or bosses 6-i (i = l to n, n being the total number of stampings), parallel to each other. Each stamped 6-i includes a hole 7 (in the example illustrated in Figure 1 only the stamped 6-3 is provided with a hole)

  likely to receive a tube end 1.

  The stampings are preferably intended to accommodate oblong tubes (also called flat tubes) having a

  minor axis B (or width), and major axis A (or length).

  Usually the tubes are positioned in the plate

  collector 2 parallel to the short side, or transverse side

  sal, of the collector plate 2. Consequently, in the

  following the description, we will consider that the length

  of a section of tube 1 (or of hole 7) corresponds to a direction substantially perpendicular to the long side (or longitudinal side) of the collecting plate 2, while the width of a section of tube 1 (or of hole 7) , corresponds to a direction substantially perpendicular to the short side

  (or transverse side) of the collector plate 2.

  As illustrated in Figure 3, the space between two

consecutive stamps is flat.

  According to the invention, each stamp 7 is subdivided into at least two stamps 8a and 8b each forming an imprint. In the example illustrated in the figures, each stamped 6-i is in fact subdivided into three stamped 8a to 8c. To make these stampings 6-i, one starts from a blank whose peripheral edges 4 surrounding the flat central part 3 preferably already have a conformation forming the U-shaped groove 5. Then by stamping using a stamping tool with a multiplicity of heads

  parallel stamping each comprising as many sub-

  aligned parts as necessary (three in the example illustrated), the central part 3 of the blank is stamped in order to form the multiplicity of stampings 6-i each comprising as many sub-stamps (or imprints) 8 aligned that each head of the stamping tool has

of subparts.

  It is clear that the number of undercuts (or footprints) subdividing a stamping depends on the total number of tubes of different sections used by a manufacturer to produce the different variants of heat exchangers that he markets. We then have a "pre-collector" (or standard blank) which can be transformed by punching into a large number of collector plates 2 adapted to receive tubes

  of different sections, respectively.

  For example, it is possible to produce a first type of manifold 2 of which only the undercuts 8a have a hole 7 of length A1 (see FIG. 2) and of width B1 (see FIG.). In the example illustrated in Figures 1 and 4, the hole 7 of the stamped 6-3 is made over the entire length of the three sub-stamps 8a to 8c (or indentations), so that said

  hole has a length A3 (see Figures 2 and 4).

  It would obviously be possible to provide many other variants of manifold plates 2, such as for example a first variant in which the holes are made on two consecutive sub-stamps 8a and 8b, in order to accommodate tubes of length A2 (see FIG. 2), or a second variant in which two rows of holes are made

  length A1 and A4 using, on the one hand, the sub-

  stamped 8a, and on the other hand, the combination of the

  consecutive stamps 8b and 8c. In the latter embodiment, it is thus possible to accommodate, in the width of a housing and consequently of a collector plate 2, two oblong tubes of substantially equal dimensions (if A1 = A4), or else different (if A1 * A4), which makes it possible, for example, to produce heat exchangers with only one

fluid box.

  Just as one can play on the length of the holes 7, one can also play, according to the invention, on the width of the holes 7. Indeed, the invention also provides that the stampings 6-i, and therefore the undercuts 8, have a dimension in the direction YY perpendicular to the alignment direction XX of the undercuts, sufficient to allow the production of at least two different widths of holes (see Figure 5). Preferably, the stampings 7 are wide enough to allow the production of holes of five different widths B. In the example illustrated in FIG. 5, we have materialized only

  three different widths B1 to B3.

  Thus, using a complete set of punches whose heads have different dimensions, we can start

  of a stamped blank according to the invention (or pre-collection

  tor), make a very large number of manifold plates 2 suitable for housing tubes of different sections. This allows, on the one hand, to always have available a standard blank model (or pre-collector) ready to be punched as needed, and, on the other hand, to significantly reduce

  the production costs of the collector plates.

  In addition, it is also possible, if necessary, to adapt collectors provided with holes of a first section, into collectors provided with holes of a second section

  greater in length and / or width than the first section.

  In summary, in order to produce a collecting plate according to the invention, the following steps must be carried out: - in a first step, a blank is provided comprising a flat central part 3; in a second step, the central part 3 of the blank is stamped using an appropriate stamping tool, so that this central part comprises a plurality of stampings 6-i parallel to each other and each comprising at least two indentations 8 (or undercuts) aligned, of respective dimensions chosen; and - in a third step, we punch at least one of the

  footprints 8 of each stamp of the plurality of stamps 6-

  i made in the previous step, individually, or in

  combination, so that holes 7 of dimension are made

  sions suitable for the introduction of tubes 1.

  Once the collector plate is made, there is no more

  that to introduce the tubes in the holes, then to

  ser, by soldering or welding, the external wall of these tubes

  at the collector plate, at the punch markings-

  born forming said holes. The invention is not limited to the embodiment described above, but embraces all the variants that may

  develop a person skilled in the art within the framework of the claims

below.

  Thus, the number of under-stamps (or footprints) of the same stamp can be much greater than two, and the width of the stamps can be adapted to allow

  more than five different hole widths.

Claims (6)

Claims   1. Collector plate for heat exchanger, in particular for a motor vehicle, of the type comprising in a central part (3) at least one row of holes (7) suitable for receiving ends of tubes (1), characterized in that each hole (7) is produced in a deep-drawn (6-i) comprising at least two aligned imprints (8a-8c), of respective dimensions chosen, and capable of being punched individually or in combination, by punches of different characteristic dimensions in at minus the direction of alignment (X- X), to allow the passage of tubes (1) of different dimensions according to at least this alignment direction.   2. Collector plate according to claim 1, character-   mock in that each imprint (8) is capable of being punched, by punches of different characteristic dimensions in a direction (Y-Y) perpendicular to the direction of alignment (X-X) of the imprints of a stamped,   to allow the passage of tubes of at least two dimensions   different positions in this direction perpendicular to the alignment.   3. Collector plate according to one of claims 1 and   2, characterized in that at least one of the indentations (8a) has a dimension (A1) according to the direction of alignment different from the dimension (s) (A2, A3) of the other   (or the others) imprint (s) (8b, 8c).   4. Collector plate according to one of claims 2 and   3, characterized in that each stamped (6-i) comprises three aligned imprints (8a-8c) capable of being   punched individually or in combination to allow   ser the passage of tubes (1) of three different dimensions in the direction of alignment (X-X) and of five different dimensions in a direction (Y-Y) perpendicular to this alignment direction.   5. Method for manufacturing a header plate for a heat exchanger, in particular for a motor vehicle, characterized in that it comprises the following steps: - providing a blank comprising a flat central part (3);   - stamping said central part (3) of said blank so that it comprises a plurality of stampings (6-i) parallel to each other and each comprising at least two indentations (8a-8c) aligned with respective dimensions chosen; - punching at least one of the indentations (8) of each stamp (6) of said plurality of stamps, individually or in combination, so that holes (7) are produced   of dimensions adapted to allow the passage of extremi-   tees of tubes (1) of different dimensions depending on at least the alignment direction (X-X).   6. Method according to claim 5, characterized in that in the stamping step the respective dimensions of the imprints are chosen so that one can make holes whose dimension in the direction (YY) perpendicular to the direction d (X- X) can   take at least two different values.